I quite enjoyed this novel. Although it was an "easy" read insofar as the reading level, the language was smooth and flowing. Higgins's The Black Book of Secrets was a breath of fresh air for me in the children's literature genre since it was finally a new idea. The mood of the book is dark, and the "feeling" that it gave me while I was reading it was in the vein of Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery." The plot is definitely "slow" in terms of what most kids would probably like, since there isn't much action except for the attention-grabbing opening, but I think that it's well worth the read.

The Black Book of Secrets revolves around the idea that everyone lives their lives with secrets and regret, yet everyone deserves to have the chance to unburden themselves and receive a second chance. Like the main "villain" in the story, Higgins also emphasizes that all people have choices, and it is these choices that define and shape our destinies. I think that Higgins manages to address these ideas without sounding too much like she's preaching. The novel is also written with in a quirky tongue-in-cheek style that relieves what could otherwise be too dark for a children's novel.

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